Boku: Mobile-First Global Payment Gateway

Overview & What Sets Boku Apart

Boku is a mobile payments company founded in 2009 and based in San Francisco, with additional offices in the US, UK, India, Estonia, Germany, and more. As a publicly listed company on the London Stock Exchange (BOKU.L), Boku helps merchants accept payments through direct carrier billing (DCB), digital wallets, and real-time account-to-account (A2A) transfers in over 90 countries. This service reaches more than 7 billion mobile accounts worldwide.

Boku’s mission is to create new revenue streams by providing mobile-friendly payment options that avoid the usual hassles of credit and debit cards. This approach is particularly effective for businesses in digital content, subscriptions, gaming, and telecom bundling, where mobile use is high and card use is low.

Network & Global Reach

Massive Local Connections

• Integrates with 200+ mobile network operators and hundreds of wallets and real-time payment channels across more than 70 countries.

• Supports a wide range of payment types: carrier billing, e-wallets, bank transfers, vouchers, and local card networks.

Reach & Scale

• 7+ billion mobile payment accounts reachable.

• Handles over $9 billion in annual processing volume.

• Acquired more than 55 million new users in the past 12 months.

• Achieved a 475% month-over-month growth in monthly active users since 2018.

• Enables merchants to reach untapped audiences in emerging markets and increase both acquisition and retention.

Security, UX & Chargeback Protection

Multi-Factor Authentication

Boku’s checkout flows are secured with device-native authentication methods, such as PIN or biometrics, via users’ phones, eliminating the need to manually enter payment details.

Chargeback Elimination

All payments are authenticated in advance via the mobile network operator. This ensures high payment success rates and virtually eliminates chargebacks.

Enhanced Fraud Controls

Boku uses tokenization and real-time mobile identity verification features to add layers of fraud prevention. With the acquisition of Danal, the platform further strengthens its authentication and risk capabilities.

Platform & Merchant-Centric Integration

Unified API

Boku’s single API enables businesses to integrate once and access a diverse range of payment methods including mobile carriers, digital wallets, real-time bank transfers, and more.

Recurring & One-Tap Payments

Merchants can enable subscriptions, in-app purchases, and auto-renewals with minimal user friction through Boku’s merchant-initiated charging features.

Marketing Capabilities

Boku enables promotional bundling, such as including a subscription service with a mobile data plan. Merchants can run targeted offers directly in the payment flow.

Custom Implementations

For enterprise clients, Boku offers tailored integrations to support unique product or technical requirements, working closely with internal engineering teams.

Local Expertise & Settlement

In-Market Support

Boku has expert teams in 29 markets to help merchants with integration, payment regulation, and go-to-market strategy.

Global Settlement

• Boku operates via 34 legal entities across 54 markets.

• Supports fund settlement in 33 currencies.

• Uses only top-tier global banks for fund holding and settlement.

• Holds financial licenses such as:

  • Payment Institution authorization in Europe

  • RBI-approved Payment Aggregator license in India (as of 2024)

  • Various money service licenses in other countries

These ensure smooth and compliant transactions across jurisdictions.

Conclusion

Boku is a strong, mobile-first global payment platform aimed at creating high-conversion, secure, and localized experiences. It offers broad access through carrier billing, digital wallets, and real-time payments. This feature helps businesses grow internationally while simplifying the checkout process. Boku is particularly beneficial for companies looking to make money from mobile users and enter new markets in a secure, compliant, and efficient manner.